New Karl Lagerfeld line for the masses debuts Jan. 25

Been longing for a bit of chic by Karl Lagerfeld, but can’t afford Chanel prices? The renowned designer’s clothing line for Impulse at Macy’s last summer was just the tip of the masstige iceberg.

On Jan. 25, Lagerfeld’s new “Karl” collection will debut at Net-a-Porter.com,the high-end fashion shopping site, in what is reported to be the first designer collection offered exclusively and only online.

“We are working on a lot of amazing ideas which are all about making luxury affordable and accessible,” Lagerfeld said in a prepared statement “I’m very excited about bringing this vision to life with this brand.”

The garments will echo Lagerfeld’s personal style, and will feature leather, zippers, vinyl sleeves, wool pants with tuxedo stripes, sequined skirts and dresses and tops with detachable collars, among other things.

Prices will range from $50 for a canvas bag with a cameo of Lagerfeld’s profile to more than $1,000 for signature leather pieces.

In a news release, Holli Rogers, buying director for Net-a-Porter, said the collection “exudes effortless cool and is quintessential Karl.”

But of course, nobody just buys clothes anymore. People want more out of the experience, so Net-a-Porter.com will also offer a “Karl’s Kult” page in which shoppers can engage in social media games revolving around the collection.

There’s a “Where’s Karl?” faux newscast with reports about Lagerfeld going missing; there’s a “Find Karl” app to download and play maze games on your smartphone in the attempt to win $1,000 to spend at Net-a-Porter; and a “Karlified” app for taking and submitting pictures of yourself dressed as Karl — with the winner to be chosen by Lagerfeld himself on Jan. 25.

It’s always hard to know what clothing looks like from online pictures — you can’t see it up-close, and you can’t touch it, so you don’t really know what sort of drape or heft it’s got until you’ve bought it and had it delivered to your door. I hope this collection will consist of a higher grade of fabric and materials than his line for Impulse, which failed to woo this shopper. Then again, one has to be realistic about trade-offs where high fashion and low prices are concerned.